Nahian stood still on the roadside, staring at his phone.
The message remained on the screen.
"Time has started moving differently for you."
He read it again.
And again.
It didn't make sense. There was no name. No number. Nothing that explained who sent it.
Behind him, a bus passed loudly, breaking his focus. People kept walking. Life continued normally.
But something inside Nahian had already shifted.
He unlocked his phone and checked the number.
Unknown.
No profile. No details.
He tried to delete the message—but his finger stopped halfway.
For some reason, he felt like deleting it would be a mistake.
---
At School
The school bell rang as usual. Students gathered in groups, laughing, shouting, living their normal lives.
But Nahian couldn't focus.
Every sound felt slightly delayed… or maybe he was the one moving too fast in his thoughts.
In class, the teacher was explaining a lesson, but the words felt distant, like they were coming from underwater.
"Hey, Nahian!"
His friend tapped his desk.
He blinked. "Yeah?"
"You okay? You look weird today."
"I'm fine," Nahian replied quickly.
But he wasn't fine.
Something was off.
---
The Second Strange Moment
During break time, Nahian went to the corridor to get some air.
That's when it happened again.
Everything around him suddenly… slowed.
A ball that was rolling across the ground stopped mid-motion.
Students' movements became heavy, like frames missing from a video.
Nahian's heartbeat rose.
"What is happening…?"
He took one step forward.
The sound of his footsteps echoed strangely—too loud, too clear.
Then he saw it.
At the end of the corridor, the same man from the street.
Standing perfectly still.
Watching him.
Nahian's breath caught.
He wanted to call out—but no sound came out of his mouth.
The man slowly raised his hand and pointed at him.
And then—
Everything snapped back to normal.
Students were moving again. Noise returned. The ball rolled like nothing happened.
The man was gone.
---
After School
Nahian walked home slowly, his mind full of questions.
He kept checking his phone every few seconds, expecting another message.
But there was nothing.
Still, one thought wouldn't leave him:
If time really changed… why only for me?
As he reached his house gate, his phone vibrated again.
One new message.
Same unknown sender.
"You noticed it. That means it has already started."
Nahian's hand tightened around the phone.
This time, he didn't feel confused.
He felt watched.
-